Franchising FAQ

The average initial investment to open a Hounds Town USA is between $265,800 – $492,500. This is significantly lower than other major doggy daycare franchise companies.

Most other systems are so expensive for three reasons: 

1) They are building more intricate retail and product displays
2) They are making Franchise Owners use prefabricated kennels and other structures that cost thousands of dollars each, and
3) The franchise is charging a significant fee for the initial build-out. We do not do any of these things. 

The materials we use, coupled with the basic layout and minimal build out requirements, make it very cost-effective. For example, we do not require Franchise Owners to use prefabricated kennels that cost thousands of dollars each; instead they are built using 2x4s, PVC, and materials that can be found at Home Depot, for much less of a cost. Our fencing system for play groups is also built using PVC. Our layout, just like our business model, is very simple.

We are proud of our industry-leading unit economics and look forward to discussing those with you. 

Complete our brief, Confidential Questionnaire HERE. Afterwards, if you qualify to move forward in the process,  you will get access to our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), which  contains detailed financial statements and performance of our Franchise Owners.

$45,000 for a single unit, which is included in the total initial investment range. We also offer discounted multi-unit franchise fees to select candidates. 

Learn more about the initial investment and startup costs HERE.

During the process, the real estate Team guides you through site surveys, helps with letters of intent for landlords, and helps negotiate the lease to get the best deal for you.

Once you’ve got your location, our construction team will get started with a design layout and our founder, Mike, will do a final walkthrough of the site to make sure you’re set up to succeed right out of the gate.

We provide support on every aspect of the business. Initially we assist with site selection/real estate and construction/buildout. We then help you with hiring, dog management, business, and marketing so you are well-prepared to serve the customers lining up at your door on Opening Day:

• Real estate selection
• Construction
• Initial training
• Ongoing operational support
• Marketing support
• Accounting and financial coaching
• Annual meetings
• Periodic site visits

Find out more about our Franchise Support Team HERE.

Additionally, a number of our Franchise Owners continue to work at their full-time careers after investing in a Hounds Town franchise. Our Semi-Absentee model gives these individuals the ability to pursue their personal passions and maintain a healthy work-life balance while successfully overseeing their investment.

It typically takes new Franchise Owners about 3-4 months to get a General Manager up and running, and then they can scale back to a Semi-Absentee Role. Semi-Absentee Owners typically work about 2-3 hours per day remotely and are required to hire a General Manager to handle daily operations at their Hounds Town location.

Hounds Town thrives in industrial, light industrial, or commercial areas within 5-7 minutes of main roadways. Our core customer demographics are people traveling toward city centers to go to work and dropping their dog off on the way.

Our founder, Mike Gould, is a canine behavior expert, one of the founding members of NYPD’s K-9 program, and has over 40 years of experience, honing an approach that is deeply rooted in his understanding of dog psychology and pet behavior.

The local ad fee toward marketing efforts and other expenses incurred to promote the brand for the benefit of all. Franchise Owners will receive extensive marketing support from our team of experts for the entire time they are an Owner. This includes location-specific digital marketing and social media marketing to help your business grow.

Each shift consists of 1 shift leader and 1-2 kennel attendants. We aim for a 15:1 dog-to-human ratio so we can staff appropriately and keep payroll low.

Our Franchise Owners reap the benefits of this experience with in-depth training, where you will learn all you need to know about working with dogs and running your location successfully.

The business model helps people of all kinds of backgrounds be successful! You don’t need a heavy business background or a background with dog training. But we find the most successful Franchise Owners:

• Love to have fun and don’t take themselves too seriously
• Do have at least some kind of background in sales or management
• Enjoy interacting with people every day
• Are passionate about making an impact on their community

Our proprietary methods developed by canine expert and Hounds Town USA Founder Mike Gould provide Franchise Owners the necessary tools and skills so dogs can play in a safe and natural pack environment.

Our model is driven by processes and methods that we’ve perfected over 20 years of running a doggie daycare and overnight boarding facility, combined with Mike’s 40-plus years of canine management experience. We will teach you everything you need to know in order to successfully run your Hounds Town business. When YOU succeed, WE succeed!

You will usually be present at the store 6-8 hours per day initially. You will be interacting with customers, using the POS system and overseeing your staff, who will be taking care of all dog needs such as grouping, feeding and grooming.

As a Semi-Absentee Owner you will be responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the business. You will hire and manage staff, schedule employees, manage payroll, oversee marketing and social media and order supplies, but will not necessarily be in the location everyday to accomplish these tasks.

For starters, we have national brand recognition and a great reputation — a huge advantage of opening a franchise vs. your own small business.

Our dedicated Brand Director, Corey Packer, works with Franchise Owners to set up and run all social media pages so customers have up-to-the-minute information on their favorite Hounds Town location. Corey also assists Franchise Owners with generating new business and retaining existing customers through the following channels:

• Brand awareness marketing campaign 6 months prior to opening
• Using paid ads, local and organic SEO, and local advertising in your community
• Creating branded content daily
• Overseeing public relations
• Hosting dog-related content from our podcast, Dish on Dogs

This overwhelming demand is for a few reasons:
1.) Many people adopted puppies during COVID-19
2.) The work-from-home culture that many of our customers had to adopt following COVID-19 shutdowns has shed light on how much exercise and attention dogs need during the day. For customers who are having a hard time getting work done with their fur kids at home, Hounds Town is a perfect solution!

The town-themed facades are also fun, recognizable, and add to the warm feeling of Hounds Town USA (compared to cold, unappealing kennels).

Our Fresh Air Fund sponsors shelter pets in a free, open environment where they can run and play to their hearts’ content. We are always looking for like-minded people who can help us bring awareness to pet welfare issues in their neighborhoods.

The evaluation process sounds like a big grandiose affair, but it’s actually pretty simple. A trained member of the staff will introduce the customer’s  dog to one of our resident dogs to ensure he/she is  ready to play and a good fit for our interactive environment. These evaluations are  done at no cost and scheduled in  30-minute time slots (but this  usually takes less than a minute). We just want to ensure the dog doesn’t show any overt signs of aggression. This is all taught during training. Example video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvgqG7IruBA

We close daily from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. for a shift change and to save on unnecessary labor costs. We do not require employees to be there overnight as the dogs are sleeping and we have security cameras. It is just unnecessary.